Mexican National Team fans soak in the chance to see “El Tri” at AT&T Stadium

Mexican National Team fans soak in the chance to see “El Tri” at AT&T Stadium

Driving in on Collins Street, it was quite the scene. The sidewalks were packed almost half a mile away from AT&T Stadium as fans searched far and wide for parking in advance of the Mexico National Soccer Team facing off against Ecuador at Jerry World.

The match was part of the 2019 Mexican National Team’s 2019 U.S. Tour that has already seen them play friendlies in San Diego, Santa Clara and in Atlanta before coming to North Texas this weekend. The next leg of their U.S. Tour will take them to San Antonio to face a yet-to-be-determined squad at the Alamodome on Tuesday, September 10th.

Mexico was the undisputed home team as most of the 59,222 in attendance were sporting the familiar green, white and red jerseys at AT&T Stadium. There was no shortage of cheering, chanting and singing as fans cherished and enjoyed the relatively rare opportunity to see El Triin person.

Fans were definitely not disappointed with their team’s start as Mexico dominated in the first half with seemingly all of the legitimate scoring chances between the two teams. Mexico forward Orbelin Pineda (club team: Cruz Azul of Mexico’s Liga MX) had a few balls bounce just wide of the net as he was plenty active in the box. Mexico would continue to pound on the door as midfielder Luis Montes (Club León/Liga MX) struck a ball from a few yards out of the box that sailed just over the cross bar in the 23rd minute. It wouldn’t be much longer until El Tri finally knocked the door down.

Jonathan dos Santos (Los Angeles Galaxy/MLS) sent the crowd into a frenzy when his rocket from outside the box bounced past Ecuador goalie Maximo Banguera (Barcelona S.C./Ecuadorian Serie A). It was just the national team veteran’s second goal in over 40 appearances for Mexico since 2009.

Things definitely picked up in the second half for both sides as Ecuador would get an equalizer in the 47th minute on a free kick goal by forward Angel Mena (Leon/Liga MX) that actually ricocheted off Mexico defender Cesar Montes (Monterrey/Liga MX) and past long-time national team goalie Guillermo Ochoa (Standard Liege/Jupiler Pro League (Belgium)).

The dams broke once the clock passed the 60th minutes as three goals were scored between the teams from that time through the 80th minute. After Mexico edged back in front on a goal in the 61st minute from a beautiful free kick by the previously denied Luis Montes, Ecuador was able to respond just five minutes later with a goal on a corner kick headed in by forward Ayrton Peciado (Santos/Liga MX). The best goal of the bunch came 10 minutes later when Mexican defender Luis Rodriguez one-timed a ball to the near corner of the goal almost inexplicably past the reach of Ecuador’s Banguera.

Form would hold from there as El Tri would hang on for the 3-2 victory. The victory wasn’t without a bit of disappointment as all indications were that Mexico defender Hector Moreno (Real Sociedad/La Liga) suffered an injury that would sideline him for the duration of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament starting later this month. An accomplished footballer with close to 100 caps with the Mexican national team, Moreno’s loss is certainly a significant one going forward.

It was a fun night at AT&T Stadium for soccer fans as international soccer matches always bring a special flair to the area. When you add in the passion of the Mexico fans, it makes it a sporting experience and atmosphere that is hard to find anywhere in the United States. If you happen to have a chance to check out a Gold Cup game at Toyota Stadium on June 20th, Liga MX team Guadalajara at Globe Life Park in July, or even just an FC Dallas game in their Beer Garden, you won’t be disappointed by the buzz in the crowd. There isn’t a shortage of opportunities to check out some great soccer in town this summer. Don’t miss out!

Editor-in-Chief for Dallas Fanatic| Born and raised in Dallas, I received my Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Texas in 2014 after majoring in Radio/TV/Film. I'm a lover of all sports and support every DFW team. For random sports and other thoughts, find me on Twitter: @DylanDuell